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The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. - Culture (2) - Nairaland

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 12:22am On Oct 16, 2015
In Igbo land, it's "Ulu" and not "Orlu" as you stated. Ulu is the second daughter and only females are accorded the title. Orlu is a Local Government Area and also Town in IMO State, Nigeria. Thank you.
Abagworo:
Such phrases as "Ada n'eri ukwu anu", "Ikhi nwe ulo" and "Opara nwe ala" are common and widely accepted across Igboland but what I'm yet to understand is how the Orlu'Ulu title came to be and why the importance attached to it.

Orlu is a term widely used in Igbo language in reference to a 2nd child(male or female). While a lot of other African cultures have little or no value for the Orlu, the Igbos seem to cherish it so much that names dedicated to the Orlu child are too numerous to mention. The simplest is Nworlu,Worlu, Nwolu or Nwulu.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by ChinenyeN(m): 3:15am On Oct 16, 2015
VivaVivre, 'orlu' is a dialectal variant.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 4:45am On Oct 16, 2015
Does this word 'Ulu/Orlu' also refer to a part of an animal in the southern Igbo area?

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 10:12am On Oct 16, 2015
ChinenyeN:
VivaVivre, 'orlu' is a dialectal variant.
I see!
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by ChinenyeN(m): 12:58am On Oct 19, 2015
Radoillo:
Does this word 'Ulu/Orlu' also refer to a part of an animal in the southern Igbo area?

No, not that I am aware of. The closest I know for a part of an animal that sounds akin to the word is 'oru' (leg/hind leg), but the l/r dynamic and tone differences inevitably create a discrepancy between them.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 9:06am On Oct 19, 2015
ChinenyeN:


No, not that I am aware of. The closest I know for a part of an animal that sounds akin to the word is 'oru' (leg/hind leg), but the l/r dynamic and tone differences inevitably create a discrepancy between them.

Oh, alright. Thanks, Chinenye. I was thinking maybe in this one case, there would be an exception to the r -> l rule.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by ChinenyeN(m): 5:07pm On Oct 19, 2015
Radoillo, why would you be hoping for an exception, in this case? Is there something you are looking for, or a connection you're hoping to make somewhere?
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 5:55pm On Oct 19, 2015
Yea, perhaps.

I was wondering if this name 'Ulu' was a metaphorical reference to an anatomical part, as are the other names of a similar nature in my area.

Ishi - head- the firstborn

odudu/ odudu nwa - tail/ 'tail-child' - the lastborn.

Based on the above:

ulu/olu - thigh/hind leg?? (i.e., somewhere between the head and the tail) - second child.

This would, of course, only make sense if 'olu' is 'thigh' in the south. (We in the north do not even have the ulunwa-naming culture). As the l-to-r rule also applies to this word, then what I was thinking cannot apply.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by ChinenyeN(m): 12:56pm On Oct 21, 2015
Ah okay. I see. Oddly enough, I've seen no cultural evidence of metaphorical reference to animal parts in my area. Of course, there's always the possibility that there exists something I don't know. I'll have to inquire and find out.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by oluchiokechi(f): 8:07pm On Oct 24, 2015
Ulu/orlu depending on the dialect pertain to male and female. Males are regarded as Ulu/orlu okpara as the females are called ulu/orlu. Traditionally, their roles in the family and society gear towards supporting their first brother and sister (okpara and Ada) in administering their duties. They are like the deputies in the conventional administration. They ensure that their first do what they are expected of and most times help in the execution of such or seeing that it is done. They also ensure that other siblings are carried along in any family decision. They are the 'ear' of the family, the critique of their first that aims at doing things that will positively protect the family name. They check and balance the roles of their firsts.

Most times, because of their 'critical views' their firsts seem to misinterpret their ideas or they become selfish and greed. Family feud most times sprouts from these misunderstands and behaviours with quarrell.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by bigfrancis21: 3:04pm On Oct 27, 2015
somegirl1:
please what is "Ikhi"?
"Ulu/ Olu" is a very important position in Imo and Abia, I don't know about Anambra, Enugu, Delta and Rivers.
Ulu as far as I'm aware refers to the second daughter not son.
In Cross River and Akwa Ibom states second daughters are called "Uduwen" and second sons "Udo"

p.s. Owerre people attach importance to third daughters as well who are called "Ibari"


Exactly. I grew up in Owerri and to the best of my knowledge they have always referred to a second daughter as 'ulu'.

The Owerri people often refer to elders as 'okhii', and is pronounced as exactly as I have spelt it. Interesting enough, the Ikas call their elderly ones 'okhii'. Also, the Owerri and Ika people share similar reverence names for male elders, dee/dein (dein is a nasalized pronunciation of dee). Another Owerri word is 'deede'.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by bigfrancis21: 3:09pm On Oct 27, 2015
To correct an error on this thread, Di okpala in mainstream Anambra parlance is just another word for first son. In Anambra, the first son is usually called 'di okpala' or 'okpala', and the second son is called, 'nsote okpala' or 'nsote di okpala' and not 'di okpala'. 'Di okpala' is first son in mainstream Anambra Igbo parlance.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by somegirl1: 11:43am On Oct 29, 2015
bigfrancis21:


Exactly. I grew up in Owerri and to the best of my knowledge they have always referred to a second daughter as 'ulu'.

The Owerri people often refer to elders as 'okhii', and is pronounced as exactly as I have spelt it. Interesting enough, the Ikas call their elderly ones 'okhii'. Also, the Owerri and Ika people share similar reverence names for male elders, dee/dein (dein is a nasalized pronunciation of dee). Another Owerri word is 'deede'.

interesting.
Delta Igbo and Uratta dialects appear to be quite similar.
You're correct about the "okhii" pronunciation. I had no idea that was what the person I replied had attempted to spell.
Okhii is also used to describe maturing/ aging e.g "I me na okhii"

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Ihuomadinihu: 11:25am On Nov 01, 2015
somegirl1:


interesting.
Delta Igbo and Uratta dialects appear to be quite similar.
You're correct about the "okhii" pronunciation. I had no idea that was what the person I replied had attempted to spell.
Okhii is also used to describe maturing/ aging e.g "I me na okhii"
That's why i get angry when some confused ones say they are not igbos. If Owerri and Delta igbo share similar words,it only means that at some point in history, people from the igbo hinterland moved into parts of anioma,same with Onitsha etc.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by OdenigboAroli(m): 2:19am On Nov 16, 2015
somegirl1:


interesting.
Delta Igbo and Uratta dialects appear to be quite similar.
You're correct about the "okhii" pronunciation. I had no idea that was what the person I replied had attempted to spell.
Okhii is also used to describe maturing/ aging e.g "I me na okhii"

Okhii is a variance of Okenye in Anambra. All Delta Igbo doesn't speak one dialect....So,itd wrong to say Delta Igbo speak like Uratta.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Ihuomadinihu: 10:01pm On Nov 19, 2015
Chai,have you started again? You are the only one creating problems on a good thread. If you say Okenye,it's ok. The issue here is that some delta igbo are in denial of their igbo ancestry despite the fact that they use Okhii for elderly people just like it's used in Uratta dialect.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by kihemeje96(f): 5:45pm On Nov 30, 2015
Second daughter is called ulu nne in my place. But it is the first one (Adanne) and the last one are more pampered in most cases.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by pamshuga1(f): 1:04pm On Dec 17, 2015
Ulunne. Many are named Ulumma like my sister.

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Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by agadez007(m): 6:36pm On Dec 17, 2015
its not in my culture,we dont practise such in idemili part of anambra,so it aint a general igbo thingy
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by jopretty(f): 10:40am On Dec 23, 2015
That special recognition given to the second daughter is prevalent in Imo state. I am an 'ulu' and called 'ulu mma'. There's this myth that the 'ulus' eat the neck and wings of fowls. I enjoy that though but don't know why and how that came to be.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Nobody: 12:51pm On Dec 27, 2015
I know someone from Ihiala, Anambra who bears Obiwulu as her last name.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by glossy6(f): 8:10pm On Jan 15, 2016
Abagworo:
Such phrases as "Ada n'eri ukwu anu", "Ikhi nwe ulo" and "Opara nwe ala" are common and widely accepted across Igboland but what I'm yet to understand is how the Orlu'Ulu title came to be and why the importance attached to it.

Orlu is a term widely used in Igbo language in reference to a 2nd child(male or female). While a lot of other African cultures have little or no value for the Orlu, the Igbos seem to cherish it so much that names dedicated to the Orlu child are too numerous to mention. The simplest is Nworlu,Worlu, Nwolu or Nwulu.

it is ulu and not orlu
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by IBOGIRL1: 9:29am On May 20, 2016
Abagworo:


Maybe I did not do my studies well but I guess Ihiala and Okija are in Anambra State and they happen to have the culture. It is probably more prevalent in the Imo/Abia axis.
.
You are quite true. I think its more prevalent in IMO state. I have a friend, the second female in her family who is constantly hailed *ulunne* by family and relatives. She is from Ezinihitte in Mbaise.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by bigfrancis21: 5:47pm On Jun 18, 2016
Landmark445:
I know someone from Ihiala, Anambra who bears Obiwulu as her last name.

Obiwulu has an entirely different meaning from what you think. The 'ulu' in Obiwulu does not connote the same meaning as you think.
Re: The Importance Attached To The 2nd Child(orlu) In Igbo Culture. by Kexorcist(m): 5:21am On Jun 25, 2016
It makes me think of how some traditional European families are. The eldest child gets the education, the tutoring, and so on, but the younger child gets to go be free, travel, and seemingly bring foreign girls into the family. It's not so much today as it used to be, but there is an expectation that the oldest son must be the greatest of the children, the one upon whom the family's future will depend. Interesting that this parallel exists.

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